Taking The Show On The Road

The next major milestone before the final formal split of the two companies on Nov. 1 is an investor road show in the fall. The road show is aimed at giving HP shareholders a detailed look at the potential upside and downside of the new independent companies.

HP also has scheduled a security analyst meeting for Sept. 15 where Whitman and Weisler will likely provide new financial data on the two companies.

Following the split, HP shareholders will own shares of both HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

HP has warned in an SEC filing that the combined post-separation value of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc. may not "equal or exceed the pre-separation value of HP Co. common stock."

HP also must still receive a favorable ruling with respect to the tax-free nature of the distribution to shareholders. If the deal does not qualify as tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, HP Co., HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise could be subject to "significant tax liabilities."